Tales of gladiatorial combat have enthralled for thousands of years. From books and paintings to films and television shows, the image of a gladiator with a sword and shield fighting for their life has intrigued and inspired many. However, as the fighting became more popular, the crowd wanted more. Gladiator battles became diverse, and a sword and shield were not quite enough. Here are ten different types of fighters specializing in a diverse array of weapons and novelties.

10Bestiarii

Unlike other gladiators, the bestiarii were combatants who fought animals and not humans. Roman emperors and senators used exotic and powerful animals (for example lions, tigers, elephants, and bears) imported from Africa or Asia to show off their wealth, and put on a spectacle for the crowds at the Colosseum and amphitheaters. Some animals such as elephants were captured to shock and entertain the crowds with creatures they would not have seen before. Other animals were there to hunt and be hunted.

There were two main types of bestiarii: the “damnatio ad bestias” (damned to the beast) and the “venatio” (hunter). The damnatio were those sentenced to death, thrown into the ring for a humiliating and vicious exit to the after-life. Not considered gladiators—they were the lowest class of people in ancient Rome—their death was to entertain the crowd and a single beast could kill hundreds at a time.

The venatio trained and hunted animals for the crowd as part of their performance. There are very few known venatio that have been recorded by historians and chroniclers because they were looked down on compared to other gladiators. The most famous example is Carpophorus who is said to have killed over 20 animals with his bare hands at the Circus Maximus. Also, rather befitting of the time, he trained animals to kill, hunt, and even rape victims.

Several emperors showed off their skill at killing animals as a bestiarii, although, rather than impress the crowds, it actually damaged their popularity. Nero fought animals at the Arena, whilst Commodus heroically fought injured and immobile animals from a safe, raised platform, much to the disgust of the senate.

9Noxii

The noxii were the lowest of the low in Roman society. By far the lowest class of civilians, they were those deemed so offensive to Roman society that they were not even classed as people. These types of people included (in no particular order) Christians, Jews, those who deserted the army, murderers, and traitors. They were not selected for gladiator school, and their appearance in the arenas was purely to die in the goriest way possible as punishment for their crimes.

There were several ways that the noxii could die. One was as part of a bestiarii conflict with beasts, where they would be ripped apart by the animals. Another would have the fighters blindfolded and given instructions by the crowd, like a sadistic blind man’s bluff. Others would be thrown to actual gladiators to be hunted down. Often naked or possibly wearing a loin cloth, the noxii had no armor, and any weapon would be a simple gladius (short sword) or stick.

The Romans took delight in killing the noxii. It served as a reminder to the civilians of the rule of law and order, and also of their place in the social hierarchy.

8Retiarius

Which is better, speed or power? Death by a thousand cuts or one thrust? In the Roman times, the answer was definitely the more power and armor, the better. This is why the retiarius was initially looked down upon as a lower type of gladiator; they had very little armor and had to fight using agility, speed, and cunning. To make up for it though, they had a net to ensnare, a trident that was used to jab and move, and as a last resort, a small dagger that, on some occasions, was four-pronged.

The retiarius would train in a different barrack to the “sword and shield” gladiators and often had worse conditions. They were seen as feminine to others and were mocked. The satirist and poet Juvenal told the story of the minor aristocrat Gracchus, who not only caused disgrace by becoming a gladiator, but he brought further shame to society by fighting as a retiarius.

Despite this, they did gain some favor over the centuries, and became a mainstay in the arena, complementing the different styles of the armed secutores, murmillos, and scissores (a gladiator with a sword that has two blades).

7Secutor

Remember the classic arcade game Donkey Kong? If not, in every level of Donkey Kong the character Mario would have to scale buildings to confront the villainous Kong. Now replace Donkey Kong with a retiarius. Mario would be a secutor whose job it was to chase and defeat the retiarius. A secutor was dressed in heavy armor: he had a large shield, sword, and a round helmet that covered his whole face except for two tiny eye holes. They were developed as a counterpart to the increasingly popular retiarius (net throwers) in a clash of styles.

A typical contest between a secutor and retiarius would begin with the retiarius a safe distance away—in some cases on a raised platform above water—with a stockpile of rocks ready to throw. A secutor (meaning chaser in Latin) would pursue the retiarius and try to avoid being captured in the net or hit by the rocks. They would also have to avoid the retiarius’s trident which was used to keep the secutor far away. The secutor had the advantage of being heavily armed but would also tire easily under the weight of his armor. It led to a gripping contest.

The Emperor Commodus fought as a secutor during the games, and heavily weighted the odds in his favor to ensure that he would win his contests. Another famous secutor was Flamma, a Syrian fighter who fought wearing an outfit from the territory of Gaul. He fought 34 times with a win/draw/loss record of 21-9-4. Amazingly, he was offered his freedom four times and refused each opportunity.

6Equites

Despite sharing some similarities, the equites gladiators should not be confused with the Roman cavalrymen of the same name. The Roman cavalrymen were often minor aristocrats, holding trusted positions in the senate, and could even become emperor. The gladiatorial equites were glorified showmen.

Because the potential of death was not enough, the Colosseum would generally start with an equites bout to liven the crowd up due to the displays of agility and speed that they showed. Beginning on horseback, they would attack each other with their lances, and then dismount to fight with a short sword and shield. They wore light armor to improve their nimbleness and athleticism.

5Provocator

As we now know, many of the contests pitched different types of gladiators against each other. A provocator, however, would only fight other provocators. The reason for this is because they challenged each other to fight, rather than have the match selected for them. They would fight to settle feuds between rival gladiator schools, for the sheer competition of it, or to enhance their own status by beating a well-regarded rival. To reflect the equality, each provocator was armed in the legionnaire (Roman soldier) style with large rectangular shields, a breastplate, and helmet. The heavy armor meant that they tired quickly and it was difficult to injure them.

4Gladiatrix

The debate about whether females should take part in combat sports is not new. Thousands of years ago, philosophers, historians, and senators such as Cassius Dio and Juvenal discussed the merits of females taking part in combat at the Colosseum. A gladiatrix would wear very little armor, be bare chested, and in many cases, not even wear a helmet in order to show off her gender. Armed with a short sword and possibly a shield, these fights were very infrequent and seen as a novelty. As well as fighting each other, to increase the indignation, they also caused shock and outrage by fighting dwarfs.

In a rather extreme case of the aristocrat throwing off her corset and slumming it with the manual workers, many gladiatrices came from a higher status in society, a contrast to the low-born or slave gladiators. Their appearance caused such scandal that they were eventually banned in A.D. 200.

3Gallus / Murmillo

The Gallus were some of the earliest gladiators that came from the Gaul tribe of central and western Europe. They began fighting after being captured as prisoners of war. Heavily armed, they looked like the stereotypical gladiator with a longsword, shield, and a helmet, but they wore the traditional Gaul style of dress. Less agile than other types of gladiator, the Gallus relied on power and brute force to attack their opponents. They often fought prisoners from rival tribes.

Once the Gauls made peace and became part of the Roman Empire, it was seen as distasteful to force an ally to fight for their entertainment, so they adapted into another type of gladiator called the murmillo. Still using the heavy sword and shield, the murmillo dressed closer to a Roman soldier and fought other murmillones, gladiators from rival regions, and the net throwing Retiarii.

A famous murmillo was Marcus Attilius, who, in his maiden fight, managed to beat a gladiator from Nero’s own troops, Hilarus (who had a 12-2 win/loss record). Attilius then followed it up with a victory over the 13-0 Lucius Felix. Not bad for a rookie.

2Samnite

The Samnite were another of the early gladiators, and they share many similarities with the Gallus. They were also originally prisoners of war but hailed from the Samnium region of southern Italy. When the Roman’s conquered, they forced the Samnites into staging mock ceremonial battles. Popular, this eventually evolved into gladiator contests where the Samnite would wear their traditional military outfit with a large rectangular shield and sword.

They fought other soldiers who had been captured from tribes that were feuding with Rome. Forced to compete in their respective military styles, this offered a unique chance to see rival clans battle. Eventually, they fought opponents that were dressed as Roman legionnaires to depict Rome’s triumph over the tribes (which hopefully the Roman’s would win or else it would have been pretty embarrassing).

When Samnium became absorbed as a province of Rome, they no longer fought as a distinct category but developed into the hoplomanchus or murmillo gladiators, who had similar weapons and dress.

1Thracian

The most popular and well-known gladiator is Spartacus (other than Russell Crowe maybe). Spartacus was a prisoner of war from the Thracian tribe of southeastern Europe (around modern-day Bulgaria). He rebelled against his enslavers who had trained him as a gladiator and forced him into combat. After leading his fellow slaves and amassing an army of over 70,000 rebels through several battles with the Romans, he was eventually defeated although his legend lives on today.

Sporting a round shield, curved blade, and a broad helmet with a griffin emblem, the Thracians were arguably the most popular and common of the early gladiators. They would frequently fight the Gallus and Samnites.

In the same way we support sports teams, emperors and senators had their own favorite types of gladiators. Caligula, in particular, supported the Thracians and even killed another gladiator who had defeated his favorite Thracian warrior. Caligula trained to fight as a Thracian when he fought at the Colosseum, and this allowed any close decisions to swing favorably to the Thracians. Another emperor Domitian had such contempt for Thracians that he once threw a spectator to the dogs. The spectator’s crime—he suggested a Thracian may win a fight.

A former editor, now I just write for fun!

As the gladiator waited to step out into the arena, he was surrounded by the signs of death. The bodies of the slaughtered were brought past him, carried on stretchers stained with blood. Metal plates or rods, used to determine if a gladiator was truly dead, were being heated on a fire. The gladiator would have heard shouting, cheers, and the sounds of people crying out in pain. Horns would have blared and echoed through the inner corridors of the arena. The smell of smoke, blood, and waste must have been overwhelming.

And then the moment would come. The gladiator would step out into the sun, knowing that this might be his last moment on Earth, and he would face whatever fate the ruling class had set before him.

10 Through A Special Gate

Gladiators fought their battles inside the arenas. They often fought in pairs, and other times, it was simply man against man. Sometimes, the fight carried on until someone tapped out and begged for mercy. When this happened, the crowd and the head of the show, called the editor, would decide whether the gladiator deserved mercy or should submit to the blade of his opponent.

When a gladiator won an event, he did so to the cheers and jeers of the crowd. He would then be paid for his bravery while standing inside the arena so that the crowd could see his earnings.

A gladiator who was slain in the arena was placed on a stretcher and carried out through a special gate. The exit Romans used to carry out the dead was called the Porta Libitinensis. Porta meant “gate,” and Libitinensis referred to the burial goddess, Libitina.^[1]

After passing through the gate, the body was taken to a room, where it was stripped of all its armor.

9 Stretcher Or Dragged

Carrying a gladiator’s lifeless body out of the arena was typical only for gladiators who died honorably. If a gladiator bravely faced his death and died at the hands of another, he was ceremoniously carried from the arena, and his dignity remained intact.

For gladiators who showed anything less than complete bravery, the end was not so dignified. First, the gladiator would have had to have cried out during battle. This was considered a sign of weakness and was frowned upon in the arena. If a gladiator asked for mercy and was then denied his life, he was considered a coward who had failed to commit his life to the games.

Gladiators who let down the arena would be dragged from it. There was no point in the hassle of carrying the deceased because he had already defiled himself with his cowardice.^[2]

8 Slit Throat Or Clubbed Head

Faking death might have been a tempting idea for unwilling gladiators. After all, if a gladiator gets a messy gash and is covered in blood, all he would have to do is lie still on the ground until he is carried off the arena floor. After that, he might think he could get up, make his way out through the winding corridors of the amphitheater, and escape with his life.

There may have been some prisoners who tried this, but the Romans had measures to make sure that the dead were truly dead and not faking it.

After a gladiator faced his honorable death and was carried through the death gate, he was taken to a special room. There, he was stripped of all his armor, and his throat was cut. If the gladiator had any life left in him, it would have bled out.

When a less-than-honorable gladiator was declared dead in the arena, a slave would come out and bash his head in with either a large rock or a club used specifically for the final dispatching of unworthy gladiators.

There was no way for a gladiator to escape death after he had fallen.^[3]

7 Costumed Slaves

There are a number of written accounts and artifacts that give different details on how the slaves of the arena would make certain that a gladiator was dead.

In a gladiator grave that was dated from about AD 70, a decorated lamp showed the scene of a fallen gladiator. On another lamp, also buried in this grave, was the image of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the Underworld. This was not surprising, since in some cases, to add further thrill to the games, slaves would dress up as gods to remove the dead. In this particular case, the lamps show that slaves would dress up as Anubis and clear the human carnage from the arena.^[4]

Another account of clearing out the dead stated that slaves would dress up as Charun, an Etruscan death demon, and Hermes Psychopompus, he who guides souls to the Underworld. These slaves would rush out to the fallen gladiator, and Charun would drive a hammer into the gladiator’s skull as Hermes stabbed his body with a hot iron rod.

6 The Difference Between Slaves And The Condemned

While there were free men and freedmen who joined the ranks of the gladiators, most were usually those captured during the many wars of ancient Rome and were slaves.

Men who were bought to become gladiators were not immediately thrown into the arena. On the contrary, these men were sent to gladiator school and were given extensive physical training. The men had to learn to handle different weapons in order to survive the games. The schools also taught the men how to put on a show and gain favor with the audience. This gave the slaves as much chance of walking out of the arena as those who voluntarily entered into the games.

The only people who did not receive training were those who were condemned to death. In these cases, there was no way in which the condemned was going to exit the arena alive, no matter how well he fought. His death, almost always brutal, was strictly for the bloodthirsty entertainment of the crowd.^[5]

5 When Faced With Death

One of the most interesting things gladiators were taught while in gladiator school, called the ludus, was how to face death. This meant that future gladiators practiced the correct eye contact and posture when their fate was being decided.

When a gladiator was dealt a defeating blow, it was customary for the winning opponent to pause and look to the presenter of the games. The presenter would then give the signal as to whether the fallen gladiator would live or die.

During this brief deciding moment, the editor and the crowd would look to the wounded gladiator. If the man appeared frightened or in pain, it was a sign of weakness, and the signal was given to end the man’s life.

However, if a fallen gladiator was able to look to his opponent with defiance and an unblinking eye, he was viewed as courageous and might be given the signal of mercy.

Besides a steady look, the fallen gladiator was also expected to hold out his neck as though he welcomed the sword. With such a willingness to die, the brave gladiator could live on to fight and entertain the crowds in future games.^[6]

4 Rather Than Fight

Not all men were convinced that fighting in the arena was a good idea. There are many instances in the history of ancient Rome where prisoners of war chose to end their own lives rather than put on a bloody display for a Roman audience.

In one account, Symmachus, a fourth-century politician, obtained 20 gladiators for an event. When the time came for the men to fight within the arena, they killed each other, the last man killing himself, in a collective suicide that left the audience bewildered.

There was also the case of a prisoner of war who, while being transported to the arena, stuck his head into the moving wheel of the cart. His neck was broken, effectively removing him from the torture within the arena.

In yet another account, a German gladiator, while awaiting his turn to enter the arena, went into the lavatory, grabbed the stick used for wiping bottoms, and jammed it down his throat. The filthy sponge at the end of the stick blocked his airway, and he died of suffocation.^[7]

3 Drink From The Body

When a gladiator was struck down inside the arena and as the blood poured out from his body, spectators might see another man running toward the corpse. He would drop to his knees beside the slain gladiator and place his lips against a bloody wound. There, he would drink the blood, as if he were a vampire.

Such a sight was not too uncommon. The man drinking the gladiator’s blood would have been an epileptic who was told that his only sure cure for the affliction would be to drink the blood directly from a gladiator’s wound.

If the gladiator had been gutted, spectators would have witnessed an entirely different scene. People from the crowd would have rushed to grab a piece of the warrior’s liver. The liver was then sold to the sufferers of epilepsy, who were instructed to take nine separate doses of the gladiator’s liver in order to be free of the disease.^[8]

2 Sexual Prowess

There is no denying that gladiators were sex objects. They were strong, courageous, and dangerous men. They made women faint, and there were quite a few free women who left their husbands and children just to chase after gladiators.

Men were often jealous of the gladiators. Every time a gladiator stepped into an arena, he faced death, and the lucky ones survived to win the absolute adoration of the crowd.

Gladiators were idolized. Their images appeared on vases, in mosaics, and carved onto walls. With so much attention, it is little wonder that their blood was sought after by Roman men.

Believing not only that the blood of the gladiator had healing powers, men sought out the fighters’ blood because it was believed to increase a man’s sexual vigor. However, unlike the epileptics, who had to drink the blood from a wound, men could purchase gladiator blood to drink when it was needed. This brought about a big trade in gladiator blood, and it was said to have been rather expensive, although we are left to wonder how much of the blood sold to men actually came from a gladiator and how much of it came from other victims or animals.^[9]

1 Cremation Or Rot

After all was said and done, how the gladiator fought would also determine what was finally done to his body.

Heroic gladiators who died well in the eyes of the Roman people were often cremated. Friends and family were permitted to recover his body for funerary rites. After his cremation, his ashes were buried along with offerings.

In some places within the Roman Empire, gladiators were buried in grounds set aside just for them. These graves are slowly being rediscovered, and they are shedding new light on the lives of the gladiators.

Gladiators who died disgracefully were usually not treated so well. If their bodies were unclaimed, they would be tossed into the river or dumped on the wasteland to rot. This was considered an insult to the deceased because the Romans believed that the soul could not rest until dirt covered the remains.^[10]

Elizabeth is a full-time freelance writer and enjoys researching early American history. When she is not busy digging through newspaper archives, she is usually traveling to historical sites throughout the US.